Getting a grip of the rules?

[spud.mama 7]

My question is for people who have been at their 'sweet spot' for a while.

How long did it take for you to get a grip on things??

Like actually taking smaller bites w/o thinking about it? And chewing enuf w/o thinking about it? Even taking sips instead of gulps? Just generally working WITH the band instead of testing it?

I am now 3 months out, just had my 5th fill and hoping and praying that I am finally there (but still wary of it). I have had 3 months of 'normalcy' like before my Gizmo. Yes at every meal and at every drink of Water I get the pain in my chest that says I swallowed too much. And I'm thinking that at some point my head will tell me I don't want to eat so I wont feel the pain, or that my brain will tell my mouth to do what it's suppose to do BEFORE I wait for the pain to tell me.

So, I'm just wondering how long it took people to GET A GRIP??

(If you were perfect from the beginning--I am SO happy for you, :thumbup: but I want to hear from people who have struggled like me.) :frown:

[Jachut 487]

For me the good behaviour came quickly, but for it to become automatic? I think at least a year. It was at about 15 months that I realised I was finally not serving myself four times too much food at every meal!

There's a bit of "relearning" with every fill, but I found by about a year I could really say my eating habits had changed.

I found the same with exercise - it took about 9 to 12 months for running to be somethign that is just a part of my day and not a 'chore'. My body had adapted, it no longer tired me, it no longer felt "hard" but I've continued to have the good effects of fitness and weight control with what feels quite natural and easy.

but this "it takes six weeks to form a habit" - what a load of bollocks. Honestly. Nobody loves runniing and is good at it and finds it a natural thing to do in six short weeks. Nor does anybody change their eating habits that quickly.

[spud.mama 7]

Thanks Jacqui, that really does help. :thumbup:

[Betelnut 10]

I've had my band almost a year and there are still times when I mess up and eat one bite too many or take a sip of Water or soda when I shouldn't (this is my big mistake usually).

I definitely don't give myself too much food now and I generally chew pretty well but it is the "one bite more" that I still struggle with!

Good luck and give yourself a break--three months is not very long in the grand scheme of things!

[Blazed 1]

I dont have the band yet so i'm not sure, but remember you didnt learn those habbits over night. Taking the large gulps of Water, or taking big bites it took years for your mind to get use to it. Now this will probably take some time for you to get use to it. Give it at least a year and a half to two years. It will become habbit eventualy :mad2: Good luck on your journey!

[elcee 3,340]

Spud I agree. I was banded not long before you on 2 June and have some good days and some bad days.

4th fill was last week which put me up to 2.6ml in a 10ml band.Yesterday I had my worst day so far - I got stuck at lunch and dinner.

lunch I was eating a wholemeal wrap with avo,tinned salmon and tabouleh. I got stuck within the first couple of bites. The bites were all small, well chewed and the foods were foods I had eaten before. I had to stop - walk around etc. Eventually chewed 2 papaya enzyme tabs which didn't work on their own so I took a few sips of Water and the combination seemed to help it go down. I waited a while and was then able to eat with no problems. What caused the stick I have no idea.

Fast forward to dinner.We had chicken with ratatouille.I know chicken can be a problem but this was really moist and I had the dark meat. Again a couple of bites and I was stuck. This was more embarassing as my son had his GF over. Tried sipping water(I know you are not supposed to ) in the hopes that it would move it. It didn't. I ended up in the bathroom bringing up copious amounts of slime.There was nothing that had obviously caused the stick. I came back to the table made some excuse about not being very hungry and then ate about an hour later. Maybe it was the chicken but I am also considering that the skin on vegies cooked that way may be causing me a problem.

Maybe the fault isn't always with how you are eating but what and how it is cooked.At the moment it is a huge learning curve.

The other thing that maybe caused the problem is that it is currently my TOM. Strangely I do not seem to have a problem in the mornings when most people complain about being tight. I can easily eat a slice of wholemeal toast with poached egg and smoked salmon - I seem to have more problems later in the day.

Hopefully soon we will have this whole thing down pat!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

For me it's much easier to do "the right thing" (although I do NOT sip my Water, tea etc. I drink. I dont gulp or chug, but I'm not and won't ever be a sipper. What a pain!) but since I hit my sweet spot in May, while I don't have to think about it as much, it isn't automatic all the time yet. I can get distracted (by conversation or whatever) and relapse. It happens less and less frequently though. It's easier than you'd think to get the knack.

[Jachut 487]

Elcee, early on I noticed no time of the month symptoms. Then as I gained more restriction, I had a couple of events, my first pb came about a year after being banded. Eventually the pattern became obvious, I'd always get stuck or pb once or twice in the week before my period.

Now, at good restriction, getting slightly stuck happens pretty often, not many meals go by where i dont have to pause to let something go down.

I can also eat quite easily in the morning. I've just gotten back from a run and ate a piece of vegemite toast and am actually thinking about another!

Isnt it funny, to me now that seems like absolute gluttony, a second slice of toast. I wont do it, but I could.

[Minxz 0]

Good question Im almost 4 months in and am finally getting restriction. Which has taught me I REALLY need to slow down and chew better!

[thinkoflaura 0]

I am now 3 months out, just had my 5th fill and hoping and praying that I am finally there (but still wary of it). I have had 3 months of 'normalcy' like before my Gizmo. Yes at every meal and at every drink of Water I get the pain in my chest that says I swallowed too much. And I'm thinking that at some point my head will tell me I don't want to eat so I wont feel the pain, or that my brain will tell my mouth to do what it's suppose to do BEFORE I wait for the pain to tell me.

So, I'm just wondering how long it took people to GET A GRIP??

well spud.mama -- it's been 3 months since this post (I am a newbie and was perusing the site), and i'm curious how you feel now about this issue compared to 3 months ago?

what's different? what's still a struggle?

thanks!